Hadrian Armored Legion
Originating from the planet Hadrian within the Jugen Sector they represent the sole product of the planet. Producing a regiment annually (or so they claim, the majority of their soldiers are used for reinforcements rather than new regiments) has lead to the Hadrian Armored Legion being one of the more numerous armored regiments within the Segmentum Tempestus. Renowned for both their close relationship with the Mechanicus as a necessity of maintenance of their mighty vehicles, and their mastery of the battlefield due to their tanks has lead to them being unpopular with other regiments. History Great Crusade During the Emperor of Mankind's Great Crusade, the conquest of the Jugen Sector was handled by the legions of Leman Russ and Perterabo. When they encountered the planet Hadrian they found resistance fierce than expected as the planet was under the control of a mysterious Xenos Species dubbed the Nyk by Leman Russ. Believed to have originated from the Hell stars even the Astartes of the IV and VI legions were driven back for a time by the horrific warp-engines of the Nyk. However, such resistance could only last so long under the relentless pressure and elite skill of the Primarchs and their sons and soon the planet was under their control and the last of the Nyk retreated to their last bastion; the Hellstone tomb. Half in the warp, even the Primarchs were at a loss of how to destroy the tomb as it would reappear the next morning when destroyed. After 20 days of unfruitful attempts to rid the planet of the Tomb, Perteabo declared that if they could not destroy it, then they would seal it away. As Leman Russ left to continue the conquest Perterabo would lead the construction of several mighty battlements meant to prevent anything from entering or leaving the Tomb, the mightiest of which is the Ring of Granite, a massive wall of granite surrounding nearly 200 square miles of land around the tomb. The human settlers were left with strict instructions to maintain the guard on the Tomb lest the Nyk return to retake the planet. A few Iron Warriors were left to teach the Human settlers how to maintain the defenses and how to manufacturer the weapons and ammunition they would need. The Horus Heresy When the Horus Heresy started, one of the targets attacked by the Iron Warriors was the Planet Hadrian. With a new knowledge of what existed in the warp, and of the true nature of the Hellstone tomb, Perterabo sought to reagain access to it to use as one more tool of war. Opposing the Iron warriors was a force of Space Wolves, sent by their Primarch who also remembered the Tomb. While the fighting would last several days, only the last was considered decisive. On the last day the two forces clashed on the surface of the planet, destroying many of the protections built by Perterabo before the Space Wolves finally forced the Iron Warriors from the planet. By the end of the battles, only the Ring of Granite remained to contain the horrors leaking out of the Hellstone Tomb. Hadrian Hadrian stands as a proud Industrial world of the Imperium with a dozen major cities and each based around a dozen foundries. Within the mighty foundries the supplies for war are ever produced in great quantities with each city having a specialty. One city specializes in producing ammunition from powerpacks to tank shells, another refines gases to be used as fuel in plasma or fusion generators, and so forth. While much of these resources are shipped off world, much is used in the defense and maintenance of the Ring of Granite, and indeed every 4th child is sent to the Ring to be trained as a soldier in the defense of the planet, or even become a Legionary of one of the Hadrian Armored Legions. The Ring of Granite For ten thousand years the lives of the Inhabitants of Hadrian have centered around maintaining the Ring of Granite. The Wall itself stands 40 meters tall and is rumored to go as deep as 20 meters under the ground. All along the wall are carved battlements, gun emplacements, and an internal network of halls. All along the 50 miles of wall are thousands of guns, ranging from mighty artillery pieces transported by a wall top rail system, to heavy stubbers. While laser weapons are to be found, the inhabitants of the planet have a noted preference for ballistic weaponry. At random intervals attacks of strange creatures, often bearing little resemblance to the original Nyk, will assail the Ring. Such instances have been known to vary greatly with both scale and regularity. Sometimes months will go by between attacks, or sometime a whole year will go by as a single long battle. Sometimes the attacks will be a stealthy attempt to bomb the wall to break it, or be a full scaled attack at all 50 miles of the ring. Examinations of the creatures corpses as well as their weaponry has lead to the theory that they are descendants of the last remaining Nyk, mutated by their long exposure to the warp. Recruitment/Reinforcement All who serve as a member of the Hadrian Armored Legion are veterans of at least 2 years of serving at the Ring of Granite. Whether operating the engines for moving the rail mounted turrets, resupplying, or operating the massive artillery they all will have already experience serving as a soldier. Those who volunteer, (or are chosen by lot if there aren't enough volunteers) will receive additional training from the Adeptus Mechanicus of Forge World Kivest on the operation of their vehicles, as well as a modicum of training in minor repairs. Many of those in the regiments will pick up bits and pieces of the Mechanicus's culture and even their religion. Its said the prayers of their soldiers are just as likely to be addressed to the Omnisiah as they are to be to the Emperor contributing to their poor relationship with other regiments. When Regiments experience losses, they often will message back to Hadrian to be reinforced. Thus many recruits are assigned as reinforcements to active regiments rather than forming new ones. However due to the fickleness of warp travel and communications, as well as the difficulty of coordinating with the Forge World for replacement tanks, reinforcements can take anywhere from a few months to several years or even decades to reach the regiments. Each Guardsman will serve for 10 years and, while many don't make it, the nature of their role and the durability of their tanks mean that many have actually finished their term of service and returned to Hadrian where a special city is set apart for Veterans. Sex Like many regiments throughout the Imperium, the Hadrian Armored Legion is split roughly even between men and women. Physical relationships are heavily discouraged and punished harshly whenever they occur. Regiment appearance and character The Hadrian Armored Legions colors are primarily a steely gray. Officers of Centurion rank or higher incorporate red in their uniform to distinguish themselves with the Legate and his command squad wearing Purple. The symbol of the Regiment is a black wall with the ground in front littered with tank shells. The wall being a symbol of the Ring of Granite where all the Legionaries served at one point or another, and the shells as a symbol of their tanks impressive firepower. Physically the Legionaries are actually almost always shorter and skinnier than the average Hive World infantryman with the average height being 5'4"(1.63M) Despite their shorter stature and lesser physique, the common attitude of the regiment is a notoriously arrogant one. While they are loyal to the Emperor and always willing to provide cover and fire support for their foot bound companions, the sheer power of their tanks leads many regiments (especially newly founded ones) to be almost unbearably condescending. When not actively in combat, it is not unusual for fights to break out between them and other regiments soldiers, usually started by a Hadrian Legionary talking down to his fellow soldiers. Those regiments who have survived multiple battlefields and are filled with tough veterans are generally less arrogant, especially those who've seen Imperial Knights or Titans in combat. Another unusually feature of their character is their veneration of the Machine God being just as common as worship of the Emperor. Due to how close the Legionaries get with their tanks, often referring to them as living things and even talking with them, the worship of the Mechanius's Machine God is wide spread. While it helps in their relations with the Mechanicus, it is often a point of discord with other regiments due, especially those raised from Shrine and Cardinal Worlds. Organization While over time the regiments tend to change as tanks and people are destroyed and replaced the basic structure of the regiment (at least when newly founded) stands as thus: Chain of Command # Legate- Master of the regiment. Typically serves as the leader of the Alae (Superheavy) cohort. Usually uses a modified Superheavy tank as a command center. Considered equivalent to Colonel. # Testudo Centurion- Captain of a Hasti (battle tanks) cohort. Can command up to 20-25 tanks under him. # Sagitta Centurion- Captain of the Sagittus (Artillery) cohort. Typically commands around 10-15 artillery pieces as well as 10 recovery vehicles (such as the Atlas). # Opition- Equivalent to a Lieutenant. Commands a tank squadron. Non commissioned officer ranks. # Evocatas- Equivalent to a Tank commander. Commands a single tank. # Legionary- Basic soldier of the regiment. Legionary is followed by an adjective to signify the role the Legionary serves: Auxiliary (Artillery), Equitata (driver), and Funda (gunner) Specialists * Aquilifer- Bearer of the Regiments standard. Often accompanies the Regiment's Legate. * Signifer- Bearer of the individual Cohort's standards. Often accompanies the Cohort's Centurion. * Commissars- Like all regiments the Hadrian Armored Legion has the presence of the officers of the Officio Prefectus among them. Unlike some other regiments the special 'encouragement' required of the Commissars is not needed, indeed almost impossible and the Commissars typically serve as advisers to the Regiments Legate. * Tech-priests- As an armored regiment with many vehicles to upkeep, the Hadrian Armored Regiment has a larger amount of Tech-Priests and Enginseers than an Infantry regiment would have. However, in the thick of battle the Tech-priests cannot be everywhere they are needed and so, reluctantly, they teach those who operate the blessed war engines how to maintain their vehicles and even preform minor repairs. The Tech-priests are ever vigilant however to ensure that no guardsman of the regiment oversteps the bound enacted by preforming repairs that require the presence of a member of the Mechanicus or, even worse, modify their tanks. Punishments often range from prayers of penance to demotion or suspended wages. For those who dare to modify their tanks without the approval and supervision of a Tech-priest, physical punishment, such as lashings, are what await them. Regimental Organization When first organized, each Regiment is divided into 10 companies or cohorts. The cohorts are organized into 1 Alae command cohort, 8 Testudo cohorts, and 1 Sagitta cohort. As time goes on, regiments may grow in size, either through constant reinforcements, or by merging with a mostly depleted regiment. The oldest regiments can have up to 30 or 40 cohorts, (the 175th famously has 50), and have hundreds of tanks. * Alae Cohort- The elite among the regiment are gathered into the Alae Cohort which serves as the command for the Regiment. Each Alae is founded around a single superheavy Tank squadron comprised either 3 Baneblade or 5 Macharius type tanks. One of the Tanks will be modified to serve as the regiments command center where the Legate can communicate with his/her officers. Due to the extreme value of such vehicles they will typically only be used where the crushing might of such mighty behemoths is needed. Should even one of the superheavy tanks be downed or disabled in the field the regiment will not hesitate to sacrifice an entire cohort to rescue it. * Hasti Cohort- The main battle force of the Regiment. Each regiment will be made up of a combination of Leman Russ variants and Legion Tanks. With eight such cohorts, each regiment can field over a hundred battle tanks and light tanks in battle making them an invaluable asset for any commander. While many guardsmen are grateful for the presence of the tanks for both their firepower and the cover they provide, they can find the superior attitude that is common among the regiment intolerable. * Sagittus Cohort- The final cohort in the regiment. Within it are a handful of artillery pieces, most often Basilisks and Manticores as well as Atlas recover vehicles. With in this cohort are found the majority of the Tech-priests and Enginseers attached to the regiment as this cohort is responsible for the maintenance of the regiment's tanks when not in battle, as well as repairing damaged tanks. While it is often joked in the regiment that the Sagitta cohort is full of cowards due to their lack of direct combat, the regiment would soon fall apart without it. Super heavy Regiment Occasionally, the Forge World Kivest will have produced enough Heavy and Super heavy tanks to raise a Super heavy tank regiment rather than a standard regiment. These regiments may have have as many as a dozen Super heavy tanks, baneblade and it's variants being the most common, supported by many more lesser, but easier to produce heavy tanks. Such regiments are rare however and only deployed when victory is crucial. Regiment Equipment While the average guardsman of the Hadrian Armored Legion may seem poorly equipped compared to many other regiments when it comes to infantry fighting, and indeed some think of them as archaic for their aversion to laser weaponry. In truth the preference for ballistic weapons comes from the fact that the mutated xenos who attack the Ring of Granite often try to do so under the cover of smoke or dust which causes most laser weapons to diffuse. * Harrier pattern Autogun- Made locally on Hadrian itself the Harrier Autogun is only ever meant to be used as a last resort weapon. With either semi-automatic or automatic firing modes the Autogun magazine holds up to 20 .45 caliber bullets making it closer to a stub sub-machine gun rather than a pistol. comes with 2 extra magazines. * Hadrian Legionary uniform- With a mixture of tough fabrics and armaplas plates, it is more intended from protecting the wearer from the shocks and jolts experienced in a tank than from lasers and shrapnel. Each included a helmet fitted with a short range vox, ear protection, and a gas mask to protect from engine fumes. * Hadrian Multi-tool- A combination of nearly a dozen tools for maintaining and repairing their tanks, the Hadrian Multi-tool can also be used as an improvised melee weapon at need. * Book of repairs and chants- Made by the Mechanicus, it lists how to preform basic maintenance and minor repairs on their vehicles as well as the accompanying prayers and chants. It also lists an extremely extensive list of things not to do with their tank, ranging from more major repairs, to certain forms of modification. * Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer * Mess Gear & Canteen * Rechargeable Lamp-Pack * Grooming Kit * 2 weeks rations Vehicles As an Armored Regiment the regiment is comprised of light vehicles, battle tanks, and even a few Superheavy Tanks. Variations used by the Regiment include: * Baneblade- For thousands of years after the Great Crusade the Baneblade and it's variants were used as Alae Cohort's mighty hammer. While the they were eventually replaced by the more easily produced Macharius Tanks some older regiments still field Baneblades, often each centuries or even Millennia old. Some variants seen include the Banehammer and the Stormlord. * Macharius- While the Baneblade is powerful enough that few vehicles, human or xenos, can challenge it, its construction is a long and difficult process. In 852.M41 when Forge World Lucius began producing the some what weaker, but far easier to produce Macharius, Forge World Kivest was one of the first Forge Worlds to request and receive the designs. While not a true superheavy, more and more Regiments are founded with the Alae Cohort being comprised of Macharius tanks and not Baneblades. In fact, the Macharius is so much easier to produce that the Alae Cohort is based around a squad of 5 Macharius tanks rather than 3 Baneblades. * Leman Russ- The main Battle Tank of the Imperial Guard and the fist of the Hadrian Armored Legion. The Leman Russ and its variants are the most numerous tanks utilized by the Hadrian Armored Legion. * Legion Tank- A light tank used by numerous Regiments across the Imperium, the Hadrian Legion mostly uses them as a supplement to the Leman Russ's, and as hunter killers against enemy tank-hunters by using anti-armor rounds. * Basilisk- A common mobile artillery used across the Imperium, the Basilisk is used by the Regiments Saggitus Cohort to give long range aid against enemy fortifications. * Manticore- Less common than the Basilisk, the Hadrian Armored Legion uses the Manticores missiles to take down enemy heavy and superheavy tanks * Taurox Auxilla- A variant of the Taurox used by the Armored Legion. Modified to act as a resupply rather than APC the Taurox Auxilla is used to bring ammunition to Tanks that are running low. A dangerous and often near suicidal job, the Taurox was chosen over the Chimera for it's greater mobility. The Taurox Auxilla is armed with twin-linked Taurox Gatling cannons modified to use the same .45 caliber ammunition as the Harrier Autoguns. * Atlas- This Recovery vehicle is used by the Sagittus Cohort to recover disabled or destroyed tanks to be brought back to friendly lines for repair or salvaging. Notable conflicts Macharian Crusade (392 - 399.M41) Macharian Heresy (400 - 470.M41) Relations Add your own Allies * Nell Linemen- a Line Infantry raised from the Hive World of Nell-V in the same sub-sector as Hadrian. Far more numerous than the regiments raised from Hadrian, the Nell Linemen are one of the few regiments that Hadrian Legionaries treat with less arrogance due to both their being neighbors, and out of pity. For their part, the Linemen are always grateful for the cover and fire support provided by the Legion's tanks. Enemies Quotes By About Add your own Trivia * The Hadrian Armored Legion is named after the roman Emperor Hadrian and his famous wall in Britain. Thus most of the legion ranks are based off roman military ranks (which is not original on this site I know, but at least its based off one part in particular). Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Guard Category:Imperial Guard Regiments Category:Armored Regiments